Lawrence hospital wants to be trauma center

Lawrence Memorial Hospital wants to be designated to treat lower-level trauma patients.The hospital's board of trustees voted Wednesday to start the process leading to a designation as a Level 4 trauma center, a level recently created by the state health department.Level 4 gives emergency responders the option to send patients to Lawrence Memorial to be stabilized before being sent to other hospitals.The Lawrence Journal-World reports that people who suffer serious injuries in accidents in Douglas County currently are sent to hospitals in Kansas City, Kan., Overland Park and Topeka.Eventually, the Lawrence hospital would seek a Level 3 designation, which would allow the hospital to treat some trauma cases.